The Long Tail of Scope 3+ Emissions

92% of Fortune 500 companies use the GHG Protocol for calculating CO2 footprint (and all greenhouse gases). Comprehensive calculation of emissions is an accounting nightmare - GHG Protocol instead created three simplistic “Scopes.” The challenge is that the first two of these emissions “Scopes” are the only two that can be directly calculated—and are virtually meaningless in any sincere attempt to measure total CO2 burden of a corporation, product, or process.

Scope 1 - simplified fist order effects, consists of the CO2 produced directly at a factory in the course of manufacturing.

Scope 2 - or (partial) second order effects, consists only of the CO2 emissions produced to generate the energy the factory uses (e.g., coal burned elsewhere to generate electricity used at the factory).

Scope 3 – “all” other emissions: transportation, refining, construction, etc. The GHG Protocol fails (first) because it completely ignores the emissions required to sustain, house, feed, entertain, provide healthcare to, educate, etc. the people needed at every stage to produce products or provide services. Accordingly, GHGP dramatically underestimates CO2 emissions of labor-intensive (and especially highly educated labor-intensive) products, e.g., sterilization staff time, waste of physician & OR personnel time, bumped OR schedules, attorneys defending higher surgical infection rates from contaminated reusables, etc.).